FAHR was represented by Hamad Buamim, Director of Policies and Legal Affairs Department, and Maryam Al Zarouni, Director of HR  Planning Department. Saeed Abdullah, Digital Consultant at the Ministry of Community Development also participated in the session.

Participants at the session highlighted the future work skills under the rapidly changing global conditions, and working in post- Covid-19 government. Questions were raised on how the work environment  in both public and private sectors would look like after the end of the pandemic, and what will happen to future government services built around customers.

During the session, Hamad Bouamim confirmed that FAHR played an important role in light of the current situations imposed by Covid-19 outbreak worldwide, by taking proactive steps and precautionary measures that had the greatest impact in protecting Federal Government employees, ensuring business continuity and provision of services at the level of ministries and federal entities, in a safe  work environment.

He reviewed the most important steps and measures taken by FAHR   to address the Coronavirus pandemic and limit its repercussions on the government work system. They included preparing a guide to working remotely in the Federal Government and procedural guidelines in emergency circumstances, in cooperation with the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future; providing all services to Federal Government employees and customers electronically through the HR Management Information System in the Federal Government "Bayanati", smart application “FAHR”, and Customer Happiness System; inaugurating the attendance and departure registration service for Federal Government employees electronically during remote work through smart application “FAHR”; and launching the new virtual sessions approach through  the e-learning portal in "Al-Mawrid", enabling Federal Government employees to attend the workshops and training courses held through  "Al-Mawrid".

Bouamim explained during the session the results of the study prepared by the Authority on the implementation of remote work system in light of the current exceptional circumstances at the Federal Government level. The study was conducted at the level of 53 ministries and federal entities, in which 6327 employees participated.

“The study reached important results that would help the federal entities in general, and the Authority in particular, especially in terms of setting policies, preparing better for the future, and organizing remote work; in order to achieve the best desired results regarding protection of employee health and safety,” he noted.

Bouamim added: “The results of the study showed that 91% of Federal Government employees are satisfied with introducing the remote work system under the current situations, and 96% of them confirmed that their entities are implementing remote work system under the current exceptional circumstances, while 92% of respondents said that their tasks are being documented and their accomplishments monitored on a weekly or daily basis, during remote work period.

“The study also showed that 85% of respondents felt that their employers provided the necessary technological requirements for working remotely, and 61% of them confirmed that they did not encounter any difficulties in coping with working remotely.”

According to the results of the study, 92% of the employees had their tasks and achievements monitored on a weekly and daily basis, (50% of participants are documenting their tasks through periodic reports that are shared with the entity’s officials, while 37% of them are doing so through electronic systems.

For her part, Maryam Al-Zarouni, Director of HR Planning at the Authority shed light on the e-Learning Portal in the Federal Government "Al-Mawred", which was launched by the Authority in late 2019, and as one of its strategic initiatives, it witnessed during the last period great interaction by the Federal Government employees. The portal was visited by nearly 77,500 employees, since its inception untl the beginning of June, 2020.

She revealed that approximately 33,000 electronic certificates were issued through Al Mawrid platform, with nearly 600 workshops and specialized and general training programs available through the platform in various fields, in which ministries and federal entities can enrol their employees, each in their to its specialization.

Maryam Al-Zarouni confirmed that Al-Mawred is an advanced smart training platform that serves Federal Government employees, develops their behavioral and specialized skills. It provides them with general and specialized innovative online training programs and courses at preferential prices that take into account their needs, enhance their capabilities, and enable them to keep pace with the labor market, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution requirements.

She explained that the e-learning portal in the Federal Government, "Al-Mawred", is an important alternative to traditional training and learning methods based on the actual attendance of workshops and training courses, and direct contact between the trainer and the trainees looking for knowledge.

By introducing Al-Mawrid initiative, the Authority aims to assist the Federal Government employees, as well as develop their knowledge, skills and capabilities, so that they can cope with the rapidly changing needs of global labor market by acquiring reliable electronic training, at any time, and from anywhere in the world. .